Today in the My Favorite Things Giveaway, we hear from T.M. Franklin, YA author of the MORE Trilogy and How to Get Ainsley Bishop to Fall in Love with You!

When going through the list of my favorite things about the holidays, I thought of the usual suspects: The decorations, the lights, the heart-wrenching holiday movies . . . carols and wassailing (what is wassailing anyway?) and the coming together of friends and family.

*takes a moment to sigh wistfully*

Then I thought, "Who am I kidding?"

My favorite thing about the holidays are these bad boys right here:

CANDIED PECANS!!!

Crispy, crunchy, sweet and cinnamony goodness...I mean it's toasted pecans wrapped up in a crunchy sugar shell. HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE IT?

This may or may not be an actual recording of me eating candied pecans.

You can sprinkle them on a salad (although if you're eating salad for the holidays, you're doing it wrong), crumble them over ice cream (Yes, please!) or just munch on them straight out of the jar. Just beware - once you start, there ain't no stopping... and before long they'll be....

So it's best to make a double batch! Especially if you'd like to give some of them as gifts!

(Or not...)

Want to make them yourself? It's super-easy. Here's the recipe I use.

Candied Pecans

1 c. white sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp. salt

1 egg white

1 Tbsp. water

1 lb. pecan halves

Combine sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Whisk the egg white and water together until frothy. Toss the pecans in the egg white mixture, then dump in the sugar mixture and mix until the pecans are evenly coated.

Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees until pecans are evenly browned, about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Repeat as needed. :)

If you're looking for something fun to read while you munch on your leftover pecans (Ha! Like there will be leftovers!) I have a new six-part serial coming out in January - just in time for you to use one of those amazing Amazon gift cards you get for the holidays (or the one you WIN in THIS giveaway!)

The Talisman Chronicles tells the story of a group of ordinary teens, brought together by a mysterious force. They open up an old chest hidden in an attic, and as they find the talismans inside, they're granted some amazing powers.

Of course, there's a reason they get those gifts - something's coming, and it's something they'll have to fight.

Find out more about The Talisman Chronicles - or add it to your Goodreads TBR right HERE.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

About T.M. Franklin

T.M. Franklin writes stories of adventure, romance, & a little magic. A former TV news producer, she decided making stuff up was more fun than reporting the facts. Her first published novel, MORE, was born during National Novel Writing month, a challenge to write a novel in thirty days. MORE was well-received, being selected as a finalist in the 2013 Kindle Book Review Best Indie Book Awards, as well as winning the Suspense/Thriller division of the Blogger Book Fair Reader's Choice Awards. She's since written three additional novels and several best-selling short stories...and there's always more on the way.